E-Ray fans brave cold for first dibs

Chevrolet's first hybrid Corvette resulted in another first at a New Hampshire dealership last week.

A group of customers camped outside MacMulkin Chevrolet in Nashua so they could be atop the waitlist for the Corvette E-Ray when it arrives later this year. Chevy gave MacMulkin priority for E-Ray orders because it's the top-selling Corvette dealership in the country.

"I've been in the retail auto business for 25 years," the store's sales manager, Tony Dillberg, told TV station WMUR. "I have never seen customers wait outside overnight for any vehicle."

Customers began lining up Monday, Jan. 30. The dealership was allowed to start taking E-Ray orders and deposits at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Employees let everyone inside the showroom at 5 a.m.

The temperature fell as low as 17 degrees during the crowd's wait.

"We've got predicted temperatures down in the teens tonight, so we're trying to have people standing by to help out and make sure that everybody's safe," Dillberg said Tuesday.

The car has a starting price of $104,295 and a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.5 seconds that makes it the fastest Corvette yet. It comes with all-wheel drive and all-season tires so it can handle unfavorable weather. Tom Biondo, a Corvette C8 Stingray owner from Staten Island, N.Y., and other enthusiasts who showed up at MacMulkin to order an E-Ray came prepared for the elements, too.

"We brought tents, we brought heaters, air mattresses, blankets, and we just toughed it out," he said.